Beginning Of May Research Articles

Mathematical modelling and analysis on COVID-19

Background: An infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus called COVID-19 has raged across the world since December 2019. The novel coronavirus first appeared in Wuhan, China, and quickly spread to Asia and now many countries around the world are affected by the epidemic. The deaths of many patients, including medical staff, caused social panic, media attention, and high attention from governments and world organizations. Today, with the joint efforts of the government, the doctors and all walks of life, the epidemic in Hubei Province has been brought under control, preventing its spread from affecting the lives of the people. Because of its rapid spread and serious consequences, this sudden novel coronary pneumonia epidemic has become an important social hot spot event. Through the analysis of the novel coronary pneumonia epidemic situation, we can also have a better understanding of sudden infectious diseases in the future, so that we can take more effective response measures, establish a truly predictable and provide reliable and sufficient information for prevention and control model. Methods: We establish different models according to the different developments of the epidemic situation, different time points, and different response measures taken by the government. To be specific, during the period of 2020.1.23-2020.2.7, the traditional SIR model is adopted; during the period of 2020.2.8-2020.3.30, according to the scientific research results, it was considered that the novel coronary pneumonia has a latent period, soin the later phase of epidemic development, the government has effectively isolated patients, thus we adopt the SEIQR model accordingly. During the period of 2020.3.31-2020.5.16, because more asymptomatic infected people were found, we use the SEIQLR model to fit. Finally, through a SEIR simulator, considering the susceptible number, the latent number, the infected number, the cured number, death number and other factors, we simulate the change of various numbers of people from the beginning to the next 180 days of novel coronary pneumonia. Findings: The results based on the analysis of differential equations and kinetic models show that through the prediction of the model established in the first phase, the epidemic situation of novel coronary pneumonia in Hubei Province was controlled at the end of March, which is in line with the actual situation. The rest of Hubei province, except for Wuhan, lifted control of the departure channel from 0:00 am on March 25, and Wuhan was also unblocked on April 8. Through the establishment of the secondphase model, it is found that the epidemic situation will reach its peak in mid-February. For example, the quarantine admission of the hospital declined after mid-February, which is inseparable from the measures to build square cabin hospitals in early February so that more and more patients can be admitted. The model established in the third phase shows that the epidemic had been completely controlled by the end of May, which is also in line with the reality. Because in mid-May, the Wuhan government conducted a nucleic acid test on all the citizens to screen for asymptomatic infected persons to fundamentally control the spread of novel coronary pneumonia. Interpretation: Hubei Province, as the center of the initial outbreak of novel coronary pneumonia, people were forced to be isolated at home during the Spring Festival, the most important Chinese holiday, and the whole society was in a state of suspension of work and study. The Chinese government had taken many measures in response to the epidemic, suchas shutting down the city, vigorously building square cabin hospitals, and prohibiting people from gathering. At the beginning of May this year, the epidemic in Hubei Province wasfinally effectively controlled. For ordinary citizens, we should not cause unnecessary panic about the unknown novel coronavirus. Instead, we should fully understand and be familiar with this virus. In addition to the relevant medical knowledge, we should also understand the spread of infectious diseases through appropriate mathematical models. By mathematical models, we can understand the degree of harm of infectious diseases, when to control it, how to stop it, and use scientific views to reveal the original face of the novel coronavirus to the public without causing social panic.

Biophenology peach twig borer (Anarsia lineatella Zell.) in the south of Ukraine

Goal. Clarification of certain biological features of development and seasonal dynamics of the flight of peach twig borer in peach orchards of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine.
 Methods. Field — research of the biological features of peach twig borer development using pheromone-trap method was conducted in accordance with generally accepted methods in peach orchards of SPS “Naukova” of Melitopol fruit growing research station named after M.F. Sydorenko of IH of NAAS of Ukraine
 Results. It was determined that in the conditions of peach orchards in the South of Ukraine restoration of feeding peach twig borer caterpillars began in the end of March — the middle of April, and the hatching — in the end of April — the beginning of May. During 2018—2020, the beginning of the flight of butterflies of the pest was observed starting from 06 to 18 May, with the accumulation of the sum of effective temperatures (SET) >8°С 154.5—254.3 and lasted continuously until September 18—30 (134—141 days) with three peaks. The appearance of the pest caterpillars was observed from the 2—3rd ten-day period of May (SET>8°С 299.0—349.5°С). The peaks of peach twig borer flight were observed in the 3rd ten-day period of May, late June — early July, and during the 3rd ten-day period of July — mid-August. The duration of the development of the first generation was 44—50 days, the next — 30—40 days, with accumulation of SET>8°С from imago to imago varying between 436.5 and 743.0°С.
 Conclusions. In the south of Ukraine, three peaks of flight and development of two full generations of peach twig borer are noted, caterpillars of the third generation completed the development in the spring of the following year. Fluctuations in the number of imago during the growing season were influenced by both meteorological factors and the degree of reproduction of the pest of the previous generation. During the years of research, the highest intensity of catching of butterflies of a fruit striped moth was noted in July — August at high mean weakly air temperatures (25.0—26.9°С) and the conditions of severe drought (HTC 0.2).

The Effect of Hydroxychloroquine on Mortality and Pneumonia Development in SARS-Cov-2 Positive Mildly Symptomatic Outpatients without Findings of Pneumonia

Although a period longer than 10 months has passed since the detection of the first cases in and more than 40 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 worldwide, there is still no well-accepted and proven treatment choice for the novel coronavirus disease. This study aimed to retrospectively investigate cases in whom treatment had started due to detected as positive during screening and also having shown signs including fever, cough, shortness of breath, excessive malaise, fatigue or loss of smell-taste, without any findings of pneumonia between March 11, 2020, when the first cases were detected in Turkey, and the beginning of May, 2020. A total of 19.276 SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive outpatients, within the first 48 hours of detection and had no findings in lung auscultation or radiology, were detected from the data of Health Information System. 9559 patients were males (49.6%) and 9717 were females (50.4%). An underlying disease considered in the risk group for COVID-19 was found in 1789 of the patients (8.8%). An underlying disease was present in 9.4% using hydroxychloroquine and in 9% not using hydroxychloroquine. 43 deaths (0.2%) were detected among all cases. Mortality in cases using and not using hydroxychloroquine was respectively 5 (in 12.293 cases) and 38 (in 6.983 cases). It was confirmed that pneumonia developed in 2.080 of the patients (10.8%). This number was found as 1286 (10.5%) in cases using HQ and as 794 (11.4%) in cases not using HQ. In conclusion, since this study confirmed that hydroxychloroquine used in outpatients presenting in the early period without any symptoms of pneumonia can ensure survival and prevent pneumonia development particularly in young adults, we may speculate that the early use of hydroxychloroquine in mildly symptomatic patients results in a cost-effective and potent treatment.

Acute Necrotizing Pneumonia in Blue Tits - Implications for Pulmonology in Dialogue with Veterinary Medicine

At the beginning of March 2020, observations of an increasing number of dead blue tits increased. The sick tits suffered among others from respiratory symptoms. The reason for the mass extinction initially remained unclear. By the beginning of May, around 18,000 reports of suspected blue tit deaths with around 33,000 affected birds had been received. The maximum was almost 1,300 reports on April 10th. The number of reports decreased again during the following weeks. According to estimates, about 1,7 million blue tits died in Germany during this time.In a large number of the tits examined, the bacterium Suttonella ornithocola was detected in the lungs.Since the pathogen causes pneumonia, transmission via aerosol or through contact with infected secretions is to be assumed.Autopsies showed lung congestion, bloody intestinal contents and poor nutritional status. Histologically, mild to moderate acute necrotizing pneumonia was found. Since Suttonella ornithocola was also found in the parenchyma of the large organs, an additional acute sepsis can be assumed. Suttonella ornithocola could also be an intestinal pathogen, since Suttonella ornithocola was found in the intestine in addition to bloody intestinal contents, but at the same time no recognized intestinal pathogens were detected. The faeco-oral route of infection is therefore also possible.

Phenology of Pentaphylloides representatives in the Mari El Republic

Representatives of the genus Pentaphylloides are low ornamental shrubs that are valued for long abundant flowering, compact size and unpretentiousness to growing conditions. P. fruticosa is a valuable plant that has not only decorative value, but also food, medicinal, soil protection. For medicinal purposes, young flowering shoots are used, harvested during budding and flowering. The article presents the results of phenological observations in 2018-2020. The objects of the study were plants of 8 kinds of Pentaphylloides in the collection of the Botanical Garden-Institute of Volga State University of Technology (Yoshkar-Ola, Mari El Republic). The studied plants undergo most phases of seasonal development, with the exception of the mass end of shoot growth, complete lignification of shoots, mass ripening of fruits, mass leaf fall. Species and cultivars vegetated from the end of April – the beginning of May to the end of October in a short time. The vegetation period was 177-182 days. There was no significant difference in the timing of the passage of phenophases between the taxa. Plants of Р. × friedrichsenii and P. mandschurica passed most of the phenophases earlier than the average dates for the genus, and 'Goldfinger' and 'Klondike' – later. The earliest and longest flowering was characterized by P. friedrichsenii (65 d.), the latest and shortest – P. fruticosa (28 d.). All plants of P. fruticosa cultivars bloomed for a longer period than the species. After mass flowering, single flowers were observed in representatives of Pentaphyloides until mid-October.

Teletrabajo docente durante el confinamiento por COVID19 en Argentina. Condiciones materiales y perspectivas sobre la carga de trabajo, la responsabilidad social y la toma de decisiones

En Argentina las medidas para enfrentar la pandemia del COVID 19 incluyeron la suspensión de las clases presenciales en todos los niveles educativos y la implementación de una política de continuidad educativa. El objetivo de este artículo es analizar, por un lado, cuáles han sido las condiciones materiales y temporales del teletrabajo docente al inicio del confinamiento. Por el otro, examina las percepciones docentes respecto del grado de participación en la toma de decisiones respecto de su tarea remota mediada por TIC; la carga mental que el teletrabajo forzado implicó; y su responsabilidad frente al sostenimiento de las trayectorias educativas de sus estudiantes. Nuestro abordaje se nutre de la perspectiva de Condiciones y Medio Ambiente de Trabajo y de estudios recientes sobre el teletrabajo. Los hallazgos de este estudio se basan en una encuesta en línea realizada a 678 docentes secundarios en el Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires a fines de abril y principios de mayo. Mostramos que se ha dado un proceso de ampliación de la jornada laboral, en un contexto de fuertes desigualdades de condiciones materiales básicas de los/as docentes y diferentes tipos de culturas institucionales (en términos de participación docente en la toma de decisiones, clima de trabajo y experiencia previa en el uso de TIC), impactando negativamente en la carga mental de más de la mitad de los/as docentes -aunque sin todavía mellar la confianza de la mayoría de los/as docentes respecto de su capacidad de acompañar a sus estudiantes.

THE PREVALENCE OF DİCROCOELİİDAE (DİGENEA) LARVAL STAGES IN THE FIRST INTERMEDIATE HOST HELIX LUCORUM, 1758 IN ESKISEHIR AND BARTIN PROVINCES OF TURKEY

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Dicrocoeliidae larval stages in Helix lucorum found in Eskisehir and Bartin provinces of Turkey. Snails were collected from the pastures of Eskisehir and Bartin. The snails were anesthetised with 50 mM sterilized magnesium chloride (MgCl2) before being dissected. Internal organs of the snail, specifically hepatopancreas, were analysed with a stereomicroscope in terms of sporocyst and cercaria.The larval forms were identified and monitored with a light microscope. The prevalence of Dicrocoeliidae larval stages in Helix lucorum in Eskisehir and Bartin was found to be 4.6% and 7.0% respectively.Although cercariae in sporocysts were immature at the beginning of May, they began to grow and leave the sporocysts in the middle of May. It was understood that Helix lucorumserved as an intermediate host to Dicrocoeliid trematodes in Eskisehir and Bartin provinces of Turkey.

Species ratio in the complex of the cruciferous bugs and seasonal dynamics of the population number

The complex of cruciferous bugs includes such species as painted or harlequin (cabbage) bug (Eurydema ventralis Kol), pentatomid rape bug (E. oleraracea L.), and mustard bug (E. ornata L.). They belong to a line Hemiptera, the family Shield bugs (Pentatomidae), and the genus Cruciferous bugs (Eurydema). The dominant species is the cabbage bug. The mustard bug dominated only in 2007, and since 2012 it has not been detected in the records. They are widespread throughout the whole territory of Ukraine. Both adult bugs and larvae damage the crops; they pierce the leaf skin or floriferous shoots with the proboscis and suck out the juice. The light spots appear at the puncture points, the tissue dies, falls out, and the irregular form holes are formed. When the seeds are damaged, the flowers and ovary fall off, and the seeds' quality deteriorates. The harmfulness of the bugs increases dramatically in dry and hot weather. We found out that the largest number of wintering bugs was concentrated in the forest belts, near which there were the crops of spring oilseeds and cabbage plants and the seeds of white cabbage. The density of wintering imagines of the cabbage bug was 1.7–4.4 specimens/m², and the density of the rape bug was 0.9–2.3 specimens/m² of the forest floor. In the first turn, the wintered bugs' imagines populated the cabbage seeds as a trap crop, and then they populated the sprouts of spring rape and mustard. The density of the cruciferous bugs on the seeds of white cabbage of Kharkivska 105 variety was 19.0-30.7 specimens per plant at the beginning of the populating of spring oilseed cabbage crops at the Educational, Research and Production Centre "Research Field" of Kharkiv National Agrarian University named after V.V. Dokuchaiev (Ukraine). The maximum density of the cruciferous bugs in the phenophase of the yellow bud on the crops of spring oilseed cabbage plants was the following: 4.5±1.45 specimens/m² of the cabbage bug was found on spring rape of Ataman variety, 4.0±1.83 specimens/m² on white mustard of Carolina variety and 3.5±2.65 specimens/m² on Chinese mustard of Tavrychanka variety; and the density of the rape bug was 0.7±0.23, 0.5±0.23 and 0.5±0.3 specimens/m² respectively. The maximum density of the cruciferous bugs in the phenophase of the yellow bud on spring rape of Ataman variety was 6.0±0.9 specimens/m², on white mustard of Carolina variety it was 5.7±0.85, on Chinese mustard of Tavrychanka variety, the average density was 5.3±0.9 specimens/m² at the state enterprise "Research Farm "Elitne" (Ukraine). The highest number of cabbage and rape bugs at a density of 22.3–30.7 specimens/plant is concentrated on the seeds of white cabbage plants at noon, and the lowest number of them was found at 8.00 AM, and the density was 17.9–28.5 specimens/plant. The maximum density of 51-60 specimens/plant was at noon. We found out that the beginning of populating spring rape of Ataman variety by the bugs that occurred in the phenophases of 3−4 pairs of true leaves, namely during the rosette formation. The larval reappearance's beginning took place when the sum of the active temperatures was 520–688 °C (from the end of the third decade of April to the beginning of May's third decade when the sum of the active temperatures was 106-412 °C). We observed the peak of the cruciferous bugs' number from the second and third decades of June to the third decade of July, depending on the year's climatic conditions. The highest density of the bugs was observed before harvesting.

ВЫЖИМАНИЕ ПЛАСТИЧНЫХ БЛОКОВ ЛАВЫ НА ВУЛКАНЕ МОЛОДОЙ ШИВЕЛУЧ (П-ОВ КАМЧАТКА) В 2020–2021 ГГ.

Volcano Young Sheveluch is one of the most active volcanoes in Kamchatka. Since August 1980 to the present time, an extrusive dome has been growing in the crater of the volcano. Plastic lavas in the form of large ribbons were noted on the dome already in 1980–1981, the first lava flow was observed after a paroxysmal eruption on May 9, 2004. The next large block of lava started to extrude in the end of April – beginning of May 2020. By June, 11th, it rose above the dome on 50–80 m, and up to 120 m by the end of October. On September 28, it was noted that the lava block acquired smooth surfaces. Portions of lava squeezed out from inside of the volcano in August – September were plastic. By December 8, the block had collapsed. In February 2021, a new block of plastic lava began to rise from the destroyed block. In March its height above the dome exceeded 50–60 m, and 200 m in June.

Reporting of the Politika Belgrade daily newspaper on the epidemics of typhus in Serbia during the First World War

Background/Aim. The epidemic of typhus lasted for sever-al months in the Kingdom of Serbia during the First World War, and a vast number of people lost their lives. The objective of the paper was to investigate how the Politika, Belgrade daily newspaper, informed the then Serbian public about the epidemic of typhus in the Great War. Methods. By using statistical and historical-critical method, the analysis of all texts published in the Politika from February 1915, when the Serbian government and the Supreme Command allowed the press to write about the epidemic of typhus, until the outbreak began to calm down at the beginning of May 1915, was performed. Results. In the observed period, among the texts dedicated to the typhus epidemic, news about people who died of typhus (obituaries), news about the epidemic itself, as well as affirmative texts about the feats of doctors. There were more texts about allies? military missions than about Serbian Army Medical Corps. The reporting was balanced and highly professional. Conclusion. In the period February?May 1915, a number of different articles about the typhus epidemic in Serbia during the Great War were published in the daily newspaper Politika. The reporting was well-balanced, ethical and highly professional.

China's 'COVID-19 Diplomacy' and Geopolitics in Oceania

China's 'COVID-19 Diplomacy' and Geopolitics in Oceania Tarcisius Kabutaulaka (bio) The COVID-19 pandemic started at a time of intense geopolitical competition; consequently, global powers have used pandemic-related assistances to enhance their influence. This has been dubbed "COVID-19 diplomacy," a variant of global health diplomacy that involves the provision of assistance to address a health crisis while simultaneously enhancing and strengthening a country's geopolitical alliances and influence. The countries at the center of this ongoing geopolitical contest are the People's Republic of China (hereafter referred to as China) and the United States (U.S.) and its allies. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oceania1 has become an arena where global powers have jostled to assert their influence. This paper discusses how China has used the pandemic to assert its influence in Oceania and the responses from traditional powers in the region, led by the U.S. and Australia. In the past decade-and-a-half, China has become increasingly influential in Oceania. Most Pacific Island governments welcome this, as demonstrated by the fact that ten of the fourteen Pacific Island countries now recognize the one-China policy. This threatens the dominance that the US and its allies have had in the region since World War II, hence triggering the aforementioned geopolitical competition. Since the beginning of the pandemic, metropolitan powers have used COVID-19-related assistance to increase and affirm their influence. But while the US and its allies portray China as a threat, island governments view a relationship with China as an opportunity. Although China's COVID-19-related assistance has so far been smaller in monetary value compared to aid from Australia and the U.S., it has been more visible because of Beijing's concerted efforts in public relations. It is, however, uncertain if this will result in long-term geopolitical gains for Beijing, especially given the fact that Western countries are strengthening their influence. Furthermore, while Pacific Island governments each value their respective relationship with Beijing because they see it as an additional source of assistance to address the economic, social, and health-related impacts of the pandemic, their citizens are more cautious, if not skeptical, about their government's relationship with China. The paper is divided into three parts. First, it provides a broad overview of Beijing's global response to the pandemic, focusing especially on its attempts to create alternative narratives about its handling of the virus and to use its assistance to craft an image of China as a responsible and benevolent country and global leader. Second, it discusses China's response to the pandemic in Oceania and the reactions of traditional development partners and Pacific Islanders. Third, it provides concluding remarks, highlighting the geopolitical implications of China's COVID-19 diplomacy. China's COVID-19 diplomacy The SARS-CoV-2 virus or novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, originated in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China in late 2019. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a pandemic. By the end of March 2021, over 2.8 million people world-wide [End Page 254] had died from the virus, with over 128 million infections and rising. The U.S. became the epicenter with 550,000 deaths and over 30 million cases.2 By the beginning of May 2021, the epicenter of the pandemic had shifted to India, which had more than 4,000 daily fatalities and 400,000 daily infections.3 By mid-July 2021, there were over 186 million confirmed cases and over 4 million deaths worldwide.4 The economic, political, and social fallouts were also devastating. China found itself in a negative spotlight as the origin of the virus and for its lack of transparency in sharing information that could have helped contain it. The COVID-19 pandemic and its adverse social and economic impacts tarnished China's image as a global economic power with an increasing geopolitical influence, threatened President Xi Jinping's and the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) domestic reputation, and raised questions about the brand of economic development that Beijing exports globally, especially through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).5 Internationally, the U.S...

Time-lapse camera photographs reveal arrival and breeding timing of short-tailed albatrosses Phoebastria albatrus

Monitoring the ecology of seabirds breeding on remote islands is often challenging. However, time-lapse cameras have enabled the surveillance of inaccessible sites. We examined arrival/departure movements and breeding timing of the endangered short-tailed albatrossPhoebastria albatruswith time-lapse cameras on Torishima, a remote and uninhabited island in the northwestern Pacific, from November 2016 to June 2017. The photographic images revealed that the first arrival of the albatrosses on the island was on 7 October 2016, and the number of birds reached a peak of 506 on 5 November. The white pairs arrived and began incubating approximately 1 wk earlier than the white/brownish pairs. From the end of January, the number of birds repeatedly increased and decreased within a short period of time. The birds’ movement out of the breeding colony often occurred synchronously with a rapid decline in the mean daily air pressure. Adult birds began to leave the colony in April. The number of chicks reached up to 200 at the beginning of May, but they all left the colony before 1 June. The processing of the photographic images taken during the incubation and early guard periods revealed that hatching failed in approximately 10% of the pairs. The validity of information collected by time-lapse cameras was confirmed by comparing it with the results of previous field studies. This study will contribute to the collection of essential information for monitoring and conserving seabirds breeding on remote islands where successive or frequent fieldwork is difficult.

Seasonal development of Philadelphus cultivars in the Mari El Republic

Species of the genus Philadelphus L. (mock orange) are among the most popular ornamental shrubs. They are valued for low maintenance, abundant flowering, exceptional aroma of flowers and a prolonged flowering period during high summer, by when many shrubs already fade. The results of phenological observations of 2018-2020 are presented in the article. The objects of the research were the plants of 8 cultivars of mock orange selected by N. K. Vekhov in the Botanical Garden-Institute of VSUT (Yoshkar-Ola, Mari El Republic). The vegetation of plants lasts from the beginning of May to the end of September and has a duration of 177-189 days.  The 'Airborne force' (Vozdushny desant) cultivar was characterized by the longest growing season.  The full leafing occurred in the first decade of June, the growth of scions ended in the first half of August. Flowering began in the third decade of June and lasted on average for 13-28 days. The cultivar 'Vosdushny Desant' has the earliest beginning of flowering, 'Arktika' has the latest one. The plants of 'Elbrus' were characterized by the longest flowering, 'Yunnat' – by the shortest one. There was no connection between the duration of flowering and the structure of flowers.

Climate changes and trends in phenology of Cassia fistula L. in Agra (India)—1965-2019

Aim. The phenological observations help in identifying how plant species respond to regional climatic changes in particular such as ambient temperature. The study of trends in phenology of Cassia fistula L. (Caesalpiniaceae, Fabaceae) to climate changes in Agra (India) was the aim of the researches. Methods. The data on the average annual temperature in India and Agra were collected for 1965 to 2019 from the Meteorological Department. Commencement of leaf fall, time of new flush of leaves, flowering period (initiation, full bloom, and end) and the rest of phenophases in trees planted at Raja Balwant Singh College (Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India) were recorded from 25 marked trees during 1965–2019. Results. In C. fistula trees leaf fall started in the second and third week of February. Trees became completely leaf-less at the beginning of March. Flowering commenced in the first week of March, and the trees were in full bloom during the second week of March. Flowering continued till the beginning of May, and it was over in the second week of June. Fruiting commenced in December and continued till April. The timing of phenological events was consistent in 1965–2000. However, after 2001, there was a gradual shift recorded, and the shift was evident in 2009–2019. During the period 1965–2008, the average annual temperature ranged between 23.23o–25.13oC there was a liner increase in the temperature. The increase in average yearly temperature became more pronounced in 2009, and this trend is rising in temperature continued till 2019. In Agra in 2009–2019, temperature increase by 0.75–1.0oC had been recorded. The shift of phenoevents in C. fistula is correlated with the rise in annual average temperature. Conclusions. The shift in the timing of various phenoevents is the trees of C. fistula at Agra (India) are influenced by the change in the climate and rise in temperature. It is suggested that a phenological model should be developed to estimate the impact of climate change on fruit trees, horticultural plants and crops development in different regions of India.

The Poetics of Place in George Moore and John McGahern

The Poetics of Place in George Moore and John McGahern Eamon Maher Introduction This essay seeks to sketch out the way in which two, what might be called ‘canonical’, Irish writers, George Moore (1852–1933) and John McGahern (1934–2006), reveal comparable, though contrasting, sensibility to place. What is offered is a close textual reading of one short story by each author. There is no desire to suggest a direct influence by one on the other. George Moore was a prominent fin de siècle writer who died just a year before John McGahern’s birth. McGahern started publishing in the 1960s and continued until his death in 2006, by which time he was accepted as ‘the foremost prose writer now in Ireland’ by no less an authority than Declan Kiberd.1 Moore was the son of a Catholic landlord, who was also a member of parliament. This privileged background allowed him to indulge his burgeoning interest in art by spending a few years in Paris. While there he became friendly with some of the main Impressionist painters of the time, most notably Manet, Renoir and Degas, as well as with a plethora of literary figures, including Édouard Dujardin (the writer credited with first employing the stream of consciousness technique) and Théophile Gautier. Moore also befriended the most notable Naturalist writer of the nineteenth century, Émile Zola, for whom he did invaluable work by ensuring that English translations of his work were available in the Anglo-Saxon world.2 He would meet a number of the artistic luminaries who congregated regularlyintheNouvellesAthènes,whichisdescribedlovinglyinConfessions of a Young Man: What is the ‘Nouvelles Athènes’? He who would know anything of my life must know something of the academy of the fine arts. Not the official stupidity you read of in the daily papers, but the real French academy, the café. The ‘Nouvelles Athènes’ is a café on the Place Pigalle. Ah! The morning idlenesses and the long evenings when life was but a summer illusion, the grey moonlight on the Place where we Studies • volume 109 • number 436 400 used to stand on the pavements, the shutters clanging up behind us, loath to separate, thinking of what we had left said, and how much better we might have enforced our arguments.3 Moore’s sensitivity to place is well conveyed in these lines, which express something of the excitement of café culture in the Paris of the 1870s. He has the particular gift of transporting the reader to the unique atmosphere of that particular café, letting them experience the smoke curling about the figures crouched around a table, hear the writers and artists animatedly propounding their latest theories, smell the scent of wine and absinthe on their breath, sense the excitement of being at the epicentre of world culture at this time. Moore was very much a cosmopolitan figure, someone who was more comfortable in Paris or London than he was in his native Mayo. That said, he was also sensitive to the beauty of the area in which he spent his formative years, a sensitivity that is most apparent in a novel such as The Lake (1905), in which he depicts the obsession of the young parish priest Oliver Gogarty with a local teacher Nora Glynn, who has become pregnant outside of wedlock. When she refuses to follow the path he suggests, he denounces her from the pulpit, thus prompting her departure from the area. Afterwards, he regrets his action and undergoes a catharsis that sees him turn his back on the priesthood and move abroad to make a new life for himself. The opening lines of the novel reveal a lyrical, almost pantheistic fascination with nature as he contemplates Lake Carra: It was one of those enticing days at the beginning of May when white clouds are drawn about the earth like curtains. The lake lay like a mirror that somebody had breathed upon, the brown islands showing through the mist faintly, with gray shadows falling into the water, blurred at the edges. The ducks were talking in the reeds, the reeds themselves were talking, and the water lapping softly about the smooth limestone shingle. But there...

Family Businesses during the COVID-19 Crisis – Evidence from Poland

<p>Theoretical background: Family businesses are a specific group of enterprises in which family bonds play a vital role in determining the economic and noneconomic goals of the business. The subject literature emphasises the long-term focus of family businesses which is on continuity, futurity and perseverance. During the COVID-19 crisis, unique family business traits can allow these entities to access useful resources and take positive actions such as forging strong networking relationships, tapping into local idiosyncratic knowledge, exercising rapid response, having flexibility and exercising trust with caution. This suggests that family businesses might also react to the COVID-19 crisis in their own distinctive ways using their unique attributes.</p><p>Purpose of the article: In this paper we will show how family businesses deal with coronavirus restrictions and what measures they undertook during this challenging period. The paper is organised around four research questions.</p><p>Research methods: This research was conducted using a sample of 167 family businesses. Primary data related to reactions of family businesses facing the COVID-19 crisis were collected in April and at the beginning of May 2020. To achieve the goals of this study, we carried out such research methods and procedures as fractal analyses, descriptive statistics, statistical comparison of means and subjective classification of the factors.</p><p>Main findings: For family businesses, a sudden fall in revenue was a common result of COVID-19 restrictions in the Polish economy. In the case of the majority of surveyed family fims, revenues fell by 44%, and in the next 2 to 3 months businesses expected additional decreases of 39.8%. More than 65% declared a stable level of employment, but more than a quarter of surveyed family firms showed an average dip in firm employment of 15.7% and expected further job losses at around 13.1%. To protect businesses against the negative effects of the pandemic, surveyed family firms undertook several <em>ad hoc</em> measures. We divided the analysed reactions to COVID into three groups: proactive, neutral and progressive. We noticed that the most common measures were those marked as “neutral”, or those which neither expanded nor retrenched the business in the short term. This observation suggests that family businesses might choose “persevering” as their first strategic response to the sudden crisis. We also found that “proactive” measures were undertaken in family businesses which evaluated their probability of survival as higher than businesses that indicated “neutral” or “defensive” reactions. In addition, we isolated statistically significant differences in family fims’ average probability of survival among the firms which introduced particular neutral and defensive measures and those which did not. On this basis we can conclude that the lower the perceived probability of survival is, the more retrenchment-oriented types of measures begin to be taken. Additionally, it should be mentioned that so-called anti-crisis shields implemented by the Polish government were assessed as inadequately supportive of business entities’ survival.</p>

…И ПРАВОСУДИЕ ДЛЯ ВСЕХ

The article discusses some problems that have arisen in the field of civil and arbitration proceedings generated by the threat of the spread of coronavirus infection in the territory of the Russian Federation in late March – early May 2020. Subjects of civil procedural and arbitration procedural relations were faced with insurmountable circumstances restricting the right to access to justice. The situation is considered from the point of view of the principle of judicial proceedings within a reasonable time, the principle of procedural economy, legality. The category «cases of urgent nature» is analyzed, the correctness of its use in judicial practice is questioned. The question is raised about the independence of judges and their subordination only to the Constitution of the Russian Federation and federal law as a guarantee of the right to an independent and fair trial. The threat of the spread of coronavirus infection on the territory of the Russian Federation entailed a violation of the rights and legitimate interests of persons participating in cases in civil and arbitration proceedings. It was revealed that civil disputes (in the broad sense of the word) at the end of March – beginning of May 2020 were left without proper attention from the courts; the courts were unable to promptly respond to the current situation, effectively carry out their functions, and provide large-scale remote access to justice.

Mental health during COVID-19 pandemic – a literature review

Pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection emerged in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China in December 2019. Widespread outbreaks of infectious disease are associated with psychological distress and symptoms of mental illness. The COVID-19 outbreak has caused a public health crisis. In response to the rapidly increasing number of publications on this subject, this article attempts to provide a comprehensive review of early reports that appeared in the international literature until the beginning of May 2020. This paper details the effects on the general population as medical staff are exposed to different, specific stressors. The available literature has emerged from only a few of the most affected countries; therefore, there is a need for more representative research from other affected regions. The majority of studies focus on depression, anxiety, insomnia and distress. Subsyndromal mental health problems are a common response to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a huge need for further research. In particular, attention must be paid to the potentially devastating effects on population-wide mental health. Pandemic crisis shifts from acute to protracted, and the long-term mental-health consequences of the pandemic will manifest themselves in the future.

Low rate of COVID-19 seroconversion in health-care workers at a Department of Infectious Diseases in Sweden during the later phase of the first wave; a prospective longitudinal seroepidemiological study

Background: Health-care workers are at risk of contracting and transmitting SARS-CoV-2. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies and the rate of seroconversion in an environment with high exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Methods: 131 health-care workers at the Department of Infectious Diseases in Västerås, Sweden, were included in the study. Abbott’s SARS-COV-2 IgG immunoassay was used with a signal cut-off ratio of ≥1.4. Every third week from the beginning of May, blood samples were drawn, and the participants completed a questionnaire regarding symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and the result of any SARS-CoV-2 PCR performed since the last sampling occasion. Participants with IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were re-sampled only on the sixth and last occasion. Results: At the start of the study, 18 (15%) participants had SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies. At the end, 25 (19%) of 131 participants were seropositive. One case of asymptomatic infection was detected, and two cases with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 did not develop IgG antibodies. Conclusion: The low rate of seroconversion during the study suggests that it is possible to prevent transmission of SARS-COV-2 in a high-exposure environment. Compliance with adequate infection control guidelines is the likely explanation of our findings.

Domestic migrant workers in India returning to their homes: emerging socioeconomic and health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Domestic migrant workers were stranded far from home when India declared nationwide lockdown to combat the pandemic of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). A large number of these workers were left with no economic support, no food and in many cases nowhere to live. The pandemic posed a serious health threat to these people, and the socioeconomic insecurity pushed them towards the edge of sustainability. Many of the migrants began walking home and accepted an uncertain fate if they could not return back home. The Government of India initiated efforts to provide transport support with special train services from the beginning of May 2020. While the migrants have started to return to their villages and towns, the states are facing the challenges of preventing the spread of COVID-19. The point-of-entry screening, quarantine and isolation facilities have increased substantially in capacity, although the quality of care remains a point of concern. Back at their homes, the migrants are enduring stigma, discrimination and poor social security. In order to avert the brewing humanitarian crisis, empathetic administration combined with political will is a must. Prudent, evidence-based decision-making in the economic and health sectors is also necessary.